Introduction (3)

In Modern English

For in the Altay dialect the high mountains whose tops are fairly flat, rounded and broad like a fish's back, and trees shaped like such mountains, are called "gurc, gurş, garş, gürc, gürş," and in our Turkmen (Guz) dialect "geriş." "Gur" is also shortened from "ugur." Since the places where these Gurşîs, that is Gurîs, lived were so mountainous and wooded, it is written in all Arab histories that the place where they lived was called Gurşistan (Georgia) and they themselves Gurşîs (Georgians).

Of these Gurîs, that is Gurşîs (Georgians), a part came before Islam to what is now Georgia and settled, so the name of the whole continent changed, and in place of its old name Iberia, in relation to the newly arrived Georgians, the name Georgia became established.

For Georgia, according to the account of all historians, was formerly known and called Iberia. Yet the İbar (İvar)s are the Avar people of the Khazars; this is certain. When the İbars entered Europe and founded Hungary, the Gurşîs, who were also of the Turks, came and settled in Iberia, and thus Iberia took the name Georgia.

The language of the Georgians conforms to the Altay dialect that the Gurşîs spoke and later changed to a degree through Greek and Christian influence. The national names of the old Georgian khans and the language they now speak show, with the slightest analysis, that it is Altay Turkish.

In his important work called "Râmûzu'l-A'yân," Muhammed ibn Abdullah el-Lekzî el-Avârî ed-Dağıstânî, who lived about twenty years at Akhaltsikhe, says: the Georgians are of the remnants of the Avars, and since a great community of Gurşîs and Lekzîs later settled there, it was called Guriştan and Gürcistan, and then, Arabized, Cürcistan.

In Georgia there are four great tribes; since each tribe had its own place, khan and administration, bloody wars took place among them, and invading nations and finally the Russians took advantage of these internal disputes and seized Georgia. The four tribes are these:

1- "İmer": since in the Turan languages the interchange of hemze with ha and of mim with vav and ba is common, "İbar, İvar" and their lighter forms "İber, İmer, İver" are the same as one another. All of them, as written above, derive from the verb "ipamak, ipemek"; it means bright, hardworking. Since the İmerîs became famous as "İbret, İmret," meaning "of İmer," the place where they lived was called "İmreti," and the Byzantine state gave this continent the name "Lazik" because of the settlement of the Lekzîs.

2- "Gur": shortened from the word "Ugur." Since the Gurşîs settled around the Özürket district and the Batum sanjak, that continent was called "Gurya, Guril." It is evident that Özürket is tied to the word "Özürkay," meaning "sparing"; like "Bilkay, Bilkat and Bilket." This tribe had ruled for a long time in Georgia.

3- "Kartalos": a Turan word that took Greek dress; "kartuk and karta," that is what we today call "kerte." It means the branch of a tree and the degree of something. According to the Georgian dialect it was called "kartal, kartul," then according to the Greek dialect "kartalos," and also "kartalı." Karta is the name of this tribe's grandfather; since they lived around the province of Akhaltsikhe, those places were given the name "Kartalı."

4- "Mekri": in the Turkish language it is said of an angry, howling wolf. It derives from the verb "mungurmak, mangırmak, mengirmek," meaning to gush forth and go roaring. There are very many Turkish names and clans known by the names "Mekrat, Mekrin, Mekri." What the Mongols call "mongrı, mıngrı" and the Gurîs "mekri" is what we call "böri." "Mangırıc, marıc, mungran, muran" is also said of a river that flows very violently. The area around the Zugdidi and Senaki districts in Georgia was called "Magril, Mekril, Mıngaril and Magarlı."

From these four anars came the clans Acar (Acara, new and robust), Erdoğan (Ardahan), Agal (Ahal), Sakim (Zekim).

The Laz, of the Avar line, are a brave community of the clans famous as "Lekz"; it is written in works called "Menâzıru'l-Avâlim, Râmûzu'l-A'yân" that the Laz descended from the Lekzîs. For this reason it is certain that the Laz are Turks.

For it is known that when the Turks flocked into Western Asia and Europe, an important part of the Lekzs lived in the province of Trabzon on the Black Sea coast and the Byzantine state gave them the name "Lazik"; the Lekzs who remained in Western Asia were called "Laz," and those who remained in Eastern Asia "Lazikî, Lazkî, Lezkî."

The words "Lekz and Lekaz" are shortened from the words "alkaz, alkâz, alankaz, alankâz" and are what we call "alaz"; that is, the flame of a burnt fire, its red, its blaze and its sharpest point. There is therefore no doubt that the Lekzs were of the Avars and that the Laz came from these Lekzs.

As for the Turks' old religion and their acceptance of Islam, since they are essentially predisposed by nature to affirm unity and inclined to believe in the hereafter, the feeling of unity is evident in all their affairs. That the Turks, however many their khans may be, obey one khagan, however valuable their honor, always show respect to the elder, and, whatever religion and sect they enter, still persist in affirming the oneness of God, is a requirement of these feelings that come from creation.

Whatever work the Turks undertook, they have been seen to be unmatched in it. For example, in the science of Qur'anic exegesis and in Arabic literature Ebü'l-Kâsım Zemahşerî and Ebû Nasr Cevherî; in the science of hadith Muhammed Buhârî and Müslim Nîsâbûrî, the authors of the two Sahihs; in philosophy and medicine Ebû Ali Ibn Sînâ and Ebû Nasr Fârâbî; in fiqh and its principles Şemsü'l-eimmeler; in the science of kalam Ebû Mansûr Mâtürîdî; in the science of disputation Ebû Zeyd ed-Debûsî and Fahrü'l-İslâm el-Bezdevî; in the science of calligraphy Yâkût-ı Musta'simî and Hamdullah of Amasya; in the spread and defense of the religion of Islam, which commands the oneness of God, the Seljuks and especially the Ottomans, Turkish geniuses unmatched in their own way, are each a plain proof of these lofty feelings.

That the Turks' old religion was founded on the principle of the oneness of God and that a prophet came from the Turks to explain and strengthen this principle had been understood from the testimony of the history books whose meaning was reported above.

In their old belief the Turks called the exalted God, whom they knew as the true god, a true unique one, "tegri, tagrı, tangrı," in the sense of one in His essence, attributes and renown, unity remaining peculiar to His essence alone; the messengers who bring a book and news from God, bring His servants to the way and strengthen them, that is the prophet, "yalvaç, yâlvâc, yâlgâc"; and the book that the prophets brought "nuy, nuyî, nuyîk."

Since the Turks knew their yalvaçs as pioneers who helped and guided them in religion and worldly affairs, they obeyed them extremely and counted fulfilling their commands and sacrificing their lives as happiness itself, and rose higher than every nation. As the exalted God says, "Ve rüsulen kad kasasnâhüm aleyke min kabli ve rüsulen lem naksushüm aleyke" (Mü'min, 40/78), it is established by sound transmission that before our glorious Prophet thousands of prophets from among themselves were sent to every nation to direct His servants to the right way and show the way. As written in "Şerhu Esmâi'l-Mürselîn," of the prophets, that is yalvaçs, who came from the Turks the following could be known:

1- Emun: By the reading of the hemze with fatha and the mim with damma, it derives from the verb "emgemek," meaning "to make an effort, to toil." The word emek, emgek is shortened from "emgun." The words emur (emgur, one who made an effort and struggled), emit (emgit, the thing to be struggled for, that is life) and emic (emgic, one who makes an effort and struggles) are derivatives of these.

2- Ümid: With the reading of the hemze with damma and the mim with kasra it means "the thing to be hoped for"; it derives from the verb "ummak." The words umac (a dish like tarhana), umag (family, lineage, generation), umanc (covetousness, expectation), umur (one who requests and waits), uman (the hopeful) are derivatives of this.

3- Berah: The Arabized form of the word "berag, barak," with the letters ba and ra read with fatha and lengthened and ha at the end, meaning "existing." Among the Turks the Baraklı clan is famous.

4- Tahim: The Arabized form of the word "tagim," with ta with fatha and lengthened, ha read with kasra and mim at the end, meaning "a mark placed on something and a necessary thing." Since it is written that this person is also called "Tamuh," it must be the Arabized form of the word "tabuy," meaning "worshipper," and the said prophet's epithet.

5- Cusan: The Arabized form of the word "kusan," with cim read with damma, sad with fatha and lengthened, and nun at the end, meaning "a tribe chief who has seen experience." Kusan is a famous city in Turkestan; formerly the Harlahiye (Karlıg) Turks, famous for beauty and pleasant character, lived there. Kusan must be a smiling, cheerful person; he was given the epithet "Güldic," and in the said book it is written "Celdic."

6- Harkil (Hırkil): The Arabized form of the word "İrkil, Irkıl," with ha with fatha and kasra, kaf with kasra, ra with sukun and lam at the end, meaning "chosen, select and irkin." It is written in Turkish histories that Irkıl was vizier and adviser of Oğuz Han and the great ancestor of a ruling dynasty in Transoxiana.

7- Düvil: It is written with dal read with damma, vav with kasra and lam at the end; since it is also written "Tivil" with ta with kasra in place of dal with damma, it had been explained above that it is "Tivil," the grandfather of Türk ibn Âmur.

8- Savis: The Arabized form of the word "Savinc, Sevinc," with sin with fatha and lengthened, vav read with kasra and sin at the end. The old name of the city of Sivas was "Savis, Sibas," and this person is also called "Savan, Şavis."

9- Sakun: With sin with fatha, kaf read with damma, then vav with sukun and nun at the end, it is the word "Sakun," whose root and derivatives were explained above. It means "outcry and request" and also "one who requests and groans."

10- Salah: The Arabized form of the word "Salak," with sad and lam read with fatha and ha at the end, meaning sent and messenger. It is evident that it derives from the verb "salgamak," meaning "to send, to inform and to give good news."

11- Tamir: Arabized and shortened from the word "Tabgır," with ta with fatha and lengthened, mim read with kasra and ra at the end, meaning "worshipper and one who worships." The substitution of ba and mim for one another is common among the Turks, and there are many similar cases.

12- Anuh: Arabized from the word "anguk, anuk," with ayn with fatha and lengthened, nun read with damma and ha at the end, meaning "mentioned, named."

13- Gazat: Arabized from the word "gatat, katat," with ghayn and dad read with fatha and lengthened and ta at the end, meaning "something to be joined," that is mixing. "Gatış, katık" are derivatives of this.

14- Katın: Arabized from the word "katın," with kaf with fatha, ta read with kasra and nun at the end, meaning "a great mountain made up of several rows of mountains."

15- Kedük: Arabized from the word "katuk," with kaf with fatha, dal read with damma and Arabic kaf at the end, meaning "grown, become great." It is also called "Kate."

16- Laycu: Arabized from the word "ilaygu, ilgu," with lam with fatha and lengthened, then ye with sukun and cim read with damma, meaning "dear to himself." It also means "something to be caressed."

17- Narun: With nun with fatha and lengthened, ra read with damma and nun at the end, it means "a kind of pomegranate tree with a hard core." This person is also given the name "Nacun."

18- Hamun: With ha with fatha and lengthened, mim read with damma and nun at the end, it is the very same as the word "amun," meaning "protected, patronized and guarded." It is evident that "hamun," meaning "grove," is not Persian.

19- Hicah: Arabized from the word "ışak," meaning "light, radiance," with ha with kasra, cim read with fatha and lengthened and ha at the end; it is said of "an enlightened person."

20- Hicil: Arabized from the word "ışıl," meaning "sparkling, green," with ha and cim read with kasra and lam at the end.

21- Hemidun: One who is "hayy (living)," that is "who keeps his life going with effort," is called "emidun, emgidun," with ha with fatha, mim with kasra, dal read with damma and nun at the end. "Hemidun" is the very same as these. Its derivatives were mentioned under the word "emun."

22- Yasan: With ye and sin read with fatha and lengthened and nun at the end, it means "a person who arranges and adorns." It derives from the verb "yasamak." In Turkestan there is a famous city known by the name "Yasan."

23- Yavik: With ye read with fatha and lengthened, vav with kasra and Arabic kaf at the end, it is the word "Yavik," meaning "victorious and near."

24- Yahur: With ye with fatha, ha read with damma and ra at the end, it means "rain." Arabized from the word "yagur," whose examination was given above, it is also called "Yehur." He is among the children of Türk ibn Âmur.

Although the names of these glorious prophets are written in the said book, the times of their prophethood and the places they were sent to are not known. It is understood from the old Turks' yalvaçs' names being Turkish that these are those prophets.

Thanks to such guiding and helping pioneers, the Turks believed in the oneness of God for centuries, had faith, and as monotheists held absolute dominion over all Asia. Later, since they entered into relations with Assyria, Egypt and India and imitated them, their character from creation and their national feelings were damaged; they accepted Sabianism, that is star worship, and soon their national existence underwent terrible changes and they separated from one another and became divisions.

Nevertheless the Turks did not recognize the stars they worshipped as gods but regarded them as a means, that is an intermediary, for approaching the exalted God, whom they knew as the true one, the true object of worship. With this thought and belief they worshipped the stars, and as a result abandoned many fine practices of the religion of tawhid and followed the thoughts and customs of the Assyrians, Egyptians and Indians.

For this reason they called the bright stars they worshipped Ayay (Moon), Utarit (Mercury), Sakit (Jupiter), Sakik (Venus), Sugal (Saturn), Kuyaş (Sun), Marik (Mars), and the statues they made on earth in their name "bayut, but, put"; the sun, the brightest of the stars, "İris, Aris," meaning "ruler, one who reaches," and later wrongly "Erdis"; the greatest religious chief, in relation to this İris, "İrisat, Eristat, Eristay"; the greatest bodily chief "Nuyat," and his sons and relatives "noyan, noyin."

For in the Turks' language attaching oneself, showing respect and reverence is called "tapmak," and approaching and gaining nearness "noymak." Deriving from these verbs they called the special form of respect "tapas," the special form showing nearness "noyas, niyaz, numas, namaz"; absolute attachment "tapu," nearness "noyu"; special attachment "tapuk," special nearness "novik, novik"; the thing that is a means of drawing near "noyak"; the person who guides and conveys toward drawing near "noyat"; those who are near "noyan, noyin." They had made the verb "tapmak" peculiar to these and the verb "noymak" to the exalted God.

The person who reads and interprets the novik, that is the book of God, was given the name "noyer, noyir," and the preacher who warns the people against the religion's prohibitions, restrains them from bad morals and strives to improve morals, the name "kavir, kavir"; after the İrisat, the noyers and then the kavirs were regarded as religious chiefs. Later, since the kavirs held extraordinary influence, the kavans, that is khans, became like the kavirs' subordinates, and the adherents of the Sabian sect paid taxes to the kavirs.

This star worship and the kavirs' ambitions killed the Turks' old spiritual and religious values, and their later imitating neighboring nations extinguished their national feelings. For this reason, cruelly driven out and punished by the nations they imitated, they were taking refuge from the Egyptian border to the Caucasus mountains and from India and Iran to the Karakorum deserts. On the other hand the Turkish khagan Yagız Han also acted very cruelly, took the epithet "Kara Han" because of his cruelty and evils, and oppressed the Turks even more.

To revive the Turkish nation, which had fallen to this degree of wretchedness in religion and morals, God's eternal help appeared; He charged Irkıl Ata, one of the Turkish geniuses, with leading the Turks to the right way. Since Oğuz Han, the enlightened son of Kara Han, rendered very great service to the spread of this true religion, in place of the killed Kara Yagız Han his son Oğuz Han was seated on the throne through Irkıl Ata's effort.

Oğuz Han, appointing Irkıl Ata adviser with those who believed with him in the oneness of God and the self-sacrificing individuals attached to this idea, revived Turkishness and spread and exalted the religion of tawhid. The events in which he spread his influence on one side to China and on the other to Egypt and the Danube are recounted in detail in our national history. The Harkıl Nebî whose name we see among the Turkish prophets is this Irkıl Ata, who revived his religion and his nation.

When centuries had passed since this bringing to the way, they again fell onto the path of deviation; they took the paths of Buddhism from the Chinese, Magianism from the Persians, and Paganism from the Romans. Thus their sects scattered, their old spiritual powers vanished; with the appearance of khans who did not recognize one another they again divided.

Taking advantage of this disunity, the Persians and then the Romans partly invaded the Turan lands. After the Romans accepted by force Christianity, which they had earlier prevented from spreading by committing terrifying cruelties, they then set out to make the Turanians along the border accept it by force and committed such barbarities as crushing the Turanians who opposed under bloody tortures.

For Christianity inculcated the idea of one God out of three or three Gods out of one. Yet since the Turks, though Buddhist, Pagan and Magian, could not at all reconcile these Christian inculcations with the idea of the oneness of God that they believed essentially and from of old, these harsh impositions of the Romans led the Turks to persist in their own way and the Romans to increase cruelty and intensify barbarity.

For this reason these barbarities committed by the Romans drove Turkish and Tatar nations such as the Avars, Bulgars, Tirak, Circassians, Khazars, Gacar, Guz, Cumans, Lekz, Hungarians and Nogays to unite, and they had decided to repel together these barbarities committed against their national existence.

It is historically known that they first overthrew the Byzantine state that confronted them and marched as far as Italy, then invaded important continents such as Rome and France from end to end, in short, punished the barbarities the Romans had committed and brought under their sovereignty the lands and territories between China in the east and Rome in the west.

Thus although those who remained in Europe and those in Asia neighboring the Greeks weakened and, by accepting Christianity, the "three Gods are one" idea they had earlier avoided accepting, had the old feeling of unity wiped from them, those living in the actual Turkestan continent, though fire worshippers, preserved their old way, that is the idea of the oneness of God.

At this time humanity was being crushed under terrifying tortures in the name of Christianity, and poor captive people were giving up their lives in very cruel torments in the pitiless claws of the victorious Christians. While these terrible cruelties made the human community tremble, God's mercy and help appeared from the direction of the Hijaz and sent a person who would rescue helpless people from this cruelty and ignorance.

The elect of the Quraysh tribe, the most honorable of the Arab tribes, the most valuable of the prophets, his Excellency Ebü'l-Kâsım Muhammed el-Arabî (peace and blessings be upon him), by the inspiration of the Qur'an's miracle, on one hand called the human community to accept the oneness of God, saying "O People of the Book! Come to a word that is equal between us and you: that we worship none but God, that we associate nothing with Him, and that none of us take others as lords besides God" (Âl-i İmrân, 3/64), and, saying "The religion with God is Islam" (Âl-i İmrân, 3/19), strove for a happy aim such as the general unity of humankind to secure the well-being of all humanity. On the other hand he strove to protect humanity, to see that captives were treated well, and to teach rules of morality that would extinguish cruel feelings toward humanity.

When the exalted voice of this sacred call to humanity, that is the tawhid cry of the religion of Islam, which secures the well-being of all humanity, echoed as far as Turkestan already in the Prophet's exalted time, the Turks, who already accepted the oneness of God and defended freedom of conscience, showed obedience to follow this call. To understand the real situation and learn the tenets of Islam, the Turkish khagan Çagan Han sent Korkut Ata, one of the Turkish notables, to Medina the Illuminated; he charged him with investigating the religion of Islam from our Prophet's blessed tongue.

Since before Korkut Ata reached Medina the Illuminated our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had passed to the hereafter, that he met his glorious successor Hazret-i Ebû Bekir es-Sıddîk (may God be pleased with him), examined the realities of Islam from him and returned is among the important events recorded in the Oğuzname; this is known.

From this date those among the Turks in favor of accepting Islam increased. In the Islamic wars lasting until the eighteenth Hijri year, especially in the battles of Damascus and Qadisiyya, the heroic qualities and Islamic virtues, such as compassion, mercy and good protection toward Greek and Persian prisoners and the defeated, shown by the Arab elite mujahids with Khalid ibn al-Walid, Abu Ubayda and Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas (may God be pleased with them), began to draw to itself the Christians and Magians who set the world on fire in the name of civilization and the cross and made humanity weep tears of blood.

The Khorasanians, seeing such valuable people and humanity, mostly surrendered by way of peace, and a part accepted Islam voluntarily. The just policy of his Excellency Ömer el-Fârûk, the greatest of the caliphs, rewarded those who accepted Islam; to those who remained in Magianism and Christianity he granted freedom of sect, lightened their jizyas and showed equality in matters of human rights.

Since it was known that this exalted policy of Hazret-i Ömer, who knew how important a nation the Turks were and their truth-recognizing inclination toward the religion of Islam, would make a very good impression in the Turkish milieu and that the light of Islam would illuminate Turkestan soon and without difficulty, in the eighteenth Hijri year he forbade the Islamic mujahids to enter Turkestan by fighting; he commanded that only persons who would guide to Islam be sent and that recourse be had to possible means that would serve to enlighten the Turks and draw their attention to the religion of Islam.

When for four years this manner was followed and a good number of Turks were enlightened, and as the Islamic mujahids gathered strength, by Fârûk's order in the twenty-second Hijri year, to Abdurrahman ibn Rebî'a, one of the distinguished Companions who raised the torch of guidance to Turkestan, the Turkestan lands of Belencer, to Bekir ibn Abdullah Mokan, and to Ahnef ibn Kays the cities famous as Merv-i Şahican and formerly the kât, that is capital, of the Turkmens, "Barı, Marı, Merv," surrendered by peace. Some of the Turkmen tribes who recognized the truth accepted Islam and gained superiority.

For since the war of the noble Companions (may God be pleased with them) was solely for the spread of an exalted religion that secures the well-being of the human community, or rather brotherly equality, nationality had no place in this sacred aim.

Nationality is an aim that will secure only the happiness and well-being of its own individuals. The religion of Islam, however, is a very exalted sacred power requiring the happiness and well-being of all humanity. Historical events have proved that whichever nation acts using this sacred power well is a source of pride for the Islamic world and an object of lofty attachment.

Had the caliphate or policy of His Excellency Fârûk-ı Âzam continued, it is certain, as he sensed, that the Turks would have accepted Islam without difficulty. Unfortunately the harsh interpretations the Umayyad community applied both to the Prophet's family and to the people of the land broke everyone excessively and affected the Turks very badly; the Turks' old inclinations changed and they were obliged to defend themselves.

Until this date the Turkestan continent was made up of nineteen khanates such as Bukhara, Balasagun, Tokharistan, Heytal, Khotan, Khazar, Hıta, Khwarazm, Gurşistan, Fergana, Kashgar and Mari; although each khan was independent in his own sphere, all were governed obeying a khagan chosen from among themselves. Since Islamic conquests had advanced toward Transoxiana, meaning the other bank of the Oxus, that is the Heytal (Turkestan) continent, and the administration of the moves that would take place in Transoxiana had been left to the governors of Khorasan, the Turkish khagan was in relation with the governors of Khorasan.

"Sagan, Çagan Han," who had been Turkish khagan since the Prophet's exalted time, though a Magian, being very intelligent and in favor of freedom of sect, had been brought by the just policy of his Excellency Ömer el-Fârûk, the greatest of the caliphs, into a state very inclined toward the religion of Islam. But at the beginning of the twenty-first Hijri year it spread that Çagan Han had died and Tursel (Tursal) Han took the khagan's seat.

Çagan Han, although he took a neutral attitude during the war of the people of Islam with Iran, rejected Iran's request for help and gained very many material benefits from it. But with the said khagan's death, Tursal Han's accession led to a change of this policy. When Tursal Han, deceived by the promises of the Persian shah Yezdicerd, who had taken refuge in Turkestan, gave help despite the opposition of several enlightened khans and beys, Hazret-i Ömer el-Fârûk too assigned the Islamic mujahids, whom he had earlier restrained from entering Turkestan, in the twenty-second Hijri year with the conquest of Turkestan and appointed Ahnef ibn Kays (may God be pleased with him), one of the great Companion emirs, army commander.

As presented above, when the Islamic mujahids conquered important lands such as Belencer, Merv and Mokan, Tursal Han set out with a great army to help Yezdicerd and, although he partly retook the conquered lands, he was filled with admiration for the firm spiritual strength and fine morals he saw in the Islamic mujahids, especially in the army commander Ahnef. Drawing an ill omen from the said emir's valiant struggle, he sensed his own error and gave up helping the Persians. At once, raising his army by night, he returned to the center. The extraordinary conditions he saw in the Islamic mujahids began to change his thoughts about the religion of Islam.

At the end of the twenty-third Hijri year, upon the martyrdom of Hazret-i Ömer and the caliphate of Hazret-i Osman at the beginning of the month of Muharrem of the twenty-fourth year, since the administration of Khorasan was left to Hazret-i Ebû Mûsâ el-Eş'arî, governor of Basra, thanks to his good administration Islamic inclinations in the Turkestan continent increased day by day and those who voluntarily accepted Islam multiplied. Indeed the Togar İli, called Tokharistan, voluntarily obeyed his Excellency Ahnef (may God be pleased with him), emir of Khorasan, and surrendered by peace, and an important part accepted Islam. Hazret-i Ahnef also treated the Togarlıs well and showed Islamic virtues.

But since the Persian people, who were Magian, deceived the Turkish khans around the province of Merv with the pretext of co-religion, drew them into their alliance and revolted at intervals, from the 24th year to the 35th wars took place between the Islamic mujahids and them; the Islamic mujahids' mostly prevailing did not fail to awaken the Turks in Transoxiana and draw them to Islam, and the Islamic mujahids did not attack Heytal, that is Transoxiana.

But from the 36th year, that is from the martyrdom of the commander of the faithful Hazret-i Osman-ı Zinnûreyn, until the martyrdom of Abdullah ibn ez-Zübeyr in the 72nd year, the Islamic mujahids' being occupied with one another because of the caliphate dispute, especially the Umayyads' seizing the caliphate by force and, in this pursuit, setting out to uproot the Prophet's family, not only removed the Turks' old inclinations but also had a very bad effect by instilling in the Turks the idea that the aim of the struggle was not to spread the faith but to gain a sultanate and a claim to government.

Tursal Han died around the thirty-fifth Hijri year, and "Karan, Kuran Han," who was in the khanate of Merv, was seated on the throne, then İsen Han, and in the fifty-sixth Hijri year Kutluğ Han was put in the khagan's office.

İsen Han was a person who loved peace and conciliation, in the way of Çagan Han, and acted gently toward the Islamic emirs and watched the internal conflicts that arose from the caliphate dispute. After Kutluğ Han's accession in the year 56, Sa'd ibn Hazret-i Osman ibn Affan, who became governor of Khorasan, crossed the Oxus river and came as far as Tirmiz (Turmit) by fighting, but with the said person's returning it was retaken.

In the year 77, when Kutluğ Han died and Ratil (Artil) Han became Turkish khagan, when Ubeydullah ibn Ebî Bekre, one of the Umayyad emirs, entered Turkestan and returned defeated, Abdülmelik ibn Mervan added the province of Khorasan to the administration of Hajjaj, the famous cruel governor of Iraq, and, entrusting the Turkestan matter to Hajjaj, laid the foundation of the collapse of the Damascus Umayyad government.

Notes and Research

Old Words in the Text

• yalvaç: Prophet; according to the text the equivalent in the old language of the Turks.
• Tengri / Tanrı: The name of the supreme god of the old Turks; the author counts this as proof of belief in tawhid.
• Sâbîlik, encüm-perestlik: Worship of the stars.
• Mecûsî: A follower of the fire-worshipping Zoroastrian religion of ancient Iran.
• Vesenî: Idolater.
• cizye: The poll tax taken from non-Muslim subjects.
• Mâverâünnehir: "Beyond the river"; the area between the Oxus (Amu Darya) and Jaxartes (Syr Darya), around today's Uzbekistan.
• kâtibü'l-harâc, emîr, vâlî: Tax scribe, commander and governor.
• Hâkân, Han, Bar, Şad: Old Turkish titles of administration.

Georgians and Laz

Hüsameddin counts the Georgians and Laz as old Turkish branches and explains their names with words in Altay Turkish. According to today's knowledge, the Georgians, Laz, Svans and Mingrelians are Kartvelian peoples of the same origin. The Georgians entered the stage of history with the Iberian and Colchian civilizations and adopted Christianity in Iberia in the 4th century. On the origin of the name "Georgian," scholarly circles adopt the view that the word may derive from the Persian word "gurc" (wolf) and from the name of the Gorgan/Jurjan region near the Caspian. Hüsameddin's account that Iberia became Georgia with the Gurşîs after the Avars is not supported by a historical document; it is an interpretation the author drew from old Arab histories.

The Prophets and the Kantûrâ Tradition

The claim that "yalvaçs" came from the Turks is an idea that has no measured source counterpart and rests on the author's own linguistic interpretations. The twenty-four names named in this section Hüsameddin ties to Turkish roots by the record in the work named ("Şerhu Esmâi'l-Mürselîn"); we could not verify this record in this study.

The "Benî Kantûrâ" hadith that appears in the next entry, however, is a real Islamic discussion concerning the origin of the Turks. According to Ali Hatalmış's study there are traditions tracing the Turks' origin to Qantura, the concubine of Abraham; according to al-Tabarani's transmission the Prophet said "Do not touch the Turks unless they touch you; for God will give authority from my community to the sons of Qantura." But the article notes that from the wording in the hadith commentaries the conclusion that "Qantura is the ancestor of all Turks" cannot be reached, and that at most it can be said that some Turks descend from her line. Ibn Khaldun writes that the genealogists agree that the Turks' ancestor is Japheth; Hüsameddin also relies, at the beginning of the text, on Yâfes ibn Nûh.

Korkut Ata

Korkut Ata, sent in the text as the envoy of Çagan Han to Medina, is known in Turkish culture as Dede Korkut. According to the TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi Dede Korkut is shown in Rashid al-Din's work as of the Bayat tribe and in Abu'l-Ghazi Bahadur Khan's work as of the Kayı tribe. In one legend he is mentioned as a contemporary of the Prophet; Zeki Velidi Togan, however, holds the view that he can be regarded as a Turkish sage who lived before Islam, in the Göktürk era, at the side of the Oghuz yabghus. That is, the journey to Medina Hüsameddin reports rests on a legend tradition and should be treated as tradition, not as a historical document.

The Conquests of Khorasan and Transoxiana

The events related in the text are the Turkish side's view of the Islamic armies overthrowing the Sasanian Empire and advancing to Khorasan and from there to Transoxiana. According to Kasım Şulul's article on the Companions of Khorasan, the first commander to enter Khorasan is Ahnef ibn Kays; beginning with Tabasayn he took Herat, Merv, Shahjan and Nishapur in a short time, and the last Sasanian ruler Yazdegerd III was killed at Merv around 651. Hüsameddin's events of "Tursal Han's helping Yezdicerd" and "turning back before Ahnef" are an interpretation relating the Turkish khagan's role in this war and were not separately verified in this study. It should be remembered that the author, when giving dates, uses the Hijri year (such as 22, 24, 35, 56, 77); the 22nd Hijri year corresponds to 642-43.

The general framework of this section is the author's presenting the Turks' acceptance of Islam as a "voluntary" and "conscious" process and criticizing Umayyad administration. This is a reflection of the intellectual world of Hüsameddin's own time and becomes more pronounced in the next entry.

Bibliography

Primary sources

• Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 2, p. 234–241. amasya.bel.tr

Academic studies

• Ali Hatalmış, "Sahabîlerin Türkleri Tanımaları ve İlişkileri", Çukurova Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi, 19/2, 2019. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/905532
• "Dede Korkut", TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi. https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/dede-korkut
• Kasım Şulul, Horasan ve Mâverâünnehir ile ilgili sahâbîler üzerine makale, Harran Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi, sayı 8, 2020, p. 139-169.

Books

• "Merv", Türk Maarif Ansiklopedisi, 2022.

Other sources

• "Gürcüler" maddesi, Vikipedi. https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gürcüler